Response to vincristine of recurrent brain tumors in children

Seventeen children with clinical evidence of a recurrent brain tumor were treated with vincristine 1.5 mg/sq m weekly for 12 weeks with doses on alternate weeks thereafter. Eight of the 16 patients who received four or more doses of vincristine showed significant objective responses; these included patients with high-and low-grade astrocytomas and patients with medulloblastoma. Six of the eight who responded remained asymptomatic for more than 2 years. The toxicity encountered was minimal except for seizures possibly related to vincristine in three children, who were able to resume treatment. Vincristine therapy results in long-term regression in a wide variety of pediatric brain tumors and causes little or no toxicity.